Mountain Home slaying victim was shot to death MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (AP) - Baxter County authorities say a man found dead in the trunk of a car was shot to death. Sheriff John Montgomery says the state medical examiner determined Wednesday that 24-year-old Raul Segura Turrieta died of gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Montgomery says the man's body was found Wednesday morning after a resident called 911 and reported that a woman arrived in the car and said that she may have killed someo...

Attorney General sets deadline for Exxon documents MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has set an April 10 deadline for ExxonMobil to produce documents connected to the company's oil spill in Mayflower. McDaniel issued a subpoena earlier this week for Exxon's investigative and inspection reports, videos and other data regarding the Pegasus pipeline that ruptured last week in central Arkansas. Exxon has said it will comply with McDaniel's subpoena. A corrective acti...

More oiled animals found after Mayflower oil spill MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) - Officials say at least 16 oily birds, seven turtles, nine reptiles, a beaver and a muskrat have been recovered for treatment since an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week in central Arkansas. Authorities are urging people not to touch any injured or oiled animals as crews clean up Friday's spill in Mayflower, a small town about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock. Crews have also recovered thousands of barrels of oil and...

Panel OKs bill defunding Planned Parenthood LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A proposal aimed at eliminating public funding for Planned Parenthood won the support of an Arkansas Senate committee Wednesday, a move that the group warned could cut off money to doctors, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced the proposal, which would ban the state from awarding grants to entities that perform abortions or abortion re...

Halter reports $1M raised for governor bid LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's campaign says he's raised more than $1 million since launching his bid for governor, with most of that coming from a personal loan from Halter. Halter's campaign on Wednesday said he raised more than $360,000 from more than 600 contributors since announcing his bid Jan. 31. Halter also loaned his campaign $640,000. Halter's campaign also said he's received commitments from donors for anoth...

Panel OKs Medicaid money for private option LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A Senate panel has advanced a proposal that would use federal Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance for thousands of low-income Arkansans. The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Wednesday endorsed the proposal, which was offered as an alternative to expanding Medicaid enrollment under the federal health care law. The proposal would let Arkansas use federal money to purchase private coverage throug...

Tyson recalls chicken produced in RussellvilleSpringdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. is recalling approximately 127,000 pounds of uncooked chicken products that contain soy, a potential allergen, which was not properly identified on the label, according to a press release from the company. The products were produced in Russellville for restaurants and institutional food operations, and is currently in the distribution phase. "At this time there have been no reported illnesses or other concerns...

No injuries after fire breaks out at Oaklawn barnHOT SPRINGS (AP) — Oaklawn Park says no people or horses were injured when a fire broke out Tuesday in a barn at the racetrack. Oaklawn officials say the fire broke out Tuesday morning in one of the upstairs sleeping rooms of a barn. Assistant general manager David Longinotti says the blaze was quickly extinguished. Longinotti tells the Sentinel-Record that investigators believe the fire started after clothing was left near a space heater. The...

Arkansas AG to open investigation into oil spill LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas' attorney general on Tuesday asked ExxonMobil to preserve records pending a state investigation into a crude oil spill that, while small, has generated broader questions about the safety of cross-country pipelines. Clean-up crews have recovered about 12,000 barrels of crude oil and water since a leak on Friday soiled a neighborhood in Mayflower, about 25 miles northwest of Little Rock, and almost threatened ne...

Senate approves steel mill proposal LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Senate has approved Gov. Mike Beebe's proposal to provide Big River Steel with $125 million in state financing to help build a new steel mill in northeastern Arkansas. The Senate voted 26-6 for the bill Tuesday - just hours after it cleared a Senate committee on a voice vote. The bill is to be heard in a House committee Wednesday. The legislation authorizes Arkansas to issue bonds to provide a loan and pay...

House panel OKs tax cut for manufacturers LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Manufacturers would pay lower taxes under a plan endorsed by an Arkansas House committee on Tuesday, but legislative leaders have yet to agree on whether those or other proposed tax cuts will be included in their plan to slash $100 million in taxes. The legislation calls for reducing the sales and use taxes on natural gas and electricity used by manufacturers. State finance officials estimate that change would decrease...

Rep. Crawford urges Legislature to reject health plan LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Republican Congressman Rick Crawford is urging the Arkansas Legislature to reject a proposal to offer health insurance to thousands of low-income residents by purchasing private coverage using Medicaid dollars. The Republican lawmaker from east Arkansas on Tuesday said he believed the "private option" lawmakers are considering was destined to worsen the fiscal outlook for the state. Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe has urged...

$1million gift to Arkansas Children's Hospital LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Children's Hospital officials say a $1 million gift to the hospital will be used to create the first endowed chair in injury prevention. The hospital said Tuesday that the majority of the gift comes from Belinda Shults of Little Rock with the remainder from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Arkansas Children's Hospital Auxiliary. The Belinda H. and Robert L. Shults Endowed Chair in Injury Prevention ...

Mulling '14 gov. bid, Ross resigns Power Pool job LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former Congressman Mike Ross has resigned his job with the Southwest Power Pool as he moves closer toward a potential run for Arkansas governor next year. A spokesman for SPP said Tuesday that Ross resigned his post as senior vice president for government affairs and public relations as of Wednesday "to pursue another opportunity in public service." SPP is a nonprofit that manages electric services for 65 utilities in ...

Nuclear plant remains offline after fatal weekend accidentArkansas Nuclear One remained offline Monday after an accident in a non-nuclear part of the facility Sunday morning left a worker dead and eight others injured. A 600-ton generator stator was being lifted in the Unit 1 turbine building when the rigging failed and the device crashed to the floor. The lift was a part of a planned maintenance activity during the current refueling outage. Wade Walters, 24, of Russellville died and eight others who...

Family remembers man killed in ANO accidentEaster, a day known for celebrating resurrection and life, became a day of tragedy when a Russellville man was killed in an industrial accident at Arkansas Nuclear One on Sunday morning. Wade Walters, 24, of Russellville died after a generator stator fell from a lifting device in the Unit 1 turbine building at the plant. According to Donna Gregory, communications specialist at ANO, eight other workers were injured and transported to Saint Mary...

Oily ducks found following Mayflower oil spill MAYFLOWER (AP) — The environmental impacts of an oil spill in central Arkansas began to come into focus Monday as officials said a couple of dead ducks and 10 live oily birds were found after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week. “I’m an animal lover, a wildlife lover, as probably most of the people here are,” Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson told reporters. “We don’t like to see that. No one does.” Officials are urging people in Mayflo...

Legislative leaders back insurance expansionLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Republican leaders of the Arkansas House and Senate on Monday endorsed a proposal to purchase private insurance for thousands of low-income workers using federal funds, an idea lawmakers are considering as an alternative to expanding Medicaid’s enrollment under the federal health care law. House Speaker Davy Carter announced he was backing the so-called private option that Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe has urged the Republi...

Steel mill proposal gains tractionLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Gov. Mike Beebe’s plan to provide $125 million in state financing to help a new company build a steel mill in Mississippi County is gaining bipartisan support among legislators — though some conservatives still object to having the government help fund one of Arkansas’ largest economic development projects. Beebe’s proposal received a significant boost last week when leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature expressed...

2 killed, child hurt in Little Rock head-on crash LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock police say two people were killed in a head-on collision on Easter morning. Police say the deadly crash happened Sunday on Stagecoach Road near Base Line Road in southwest Little Rock. According to police, a sport utility vehicle crossed the center line to pass another vehicle when it crashed into a car driven by Patricia Miller, 49. Police said Miller died instantly along with a passenger, 26-year-old Blake Brow...